Naruto: The mask
by ara-chan5987
Summary: Naruto put up a mask on the day he entered the academy. No, it wasn't his personality. (He's always been the cheeky, easily angered ninja we adore. Well, for the most part.) It was his intelligence he decided to cover up. Fem. motherly Kyuubi! Also, Sakura has a third personality? Her true one? Inner, outer, and... Center! And more importantly, used to be Naruto's best friend?
1. Chapter 1

**note:**

Heyo guys! So, this story is one that I originally posted on another site, wattpad. My account there is clair5987. The naruto fans there seemed to like this story i made, so I thought id publish it here. ;)

 **~One~**

Naruto skipped through the backstreets or Konoha, extremely excited. No, he was more than excited, he was overjoyed! Tommorow his team would be going on there first c-rank mission! There client wasn't that cool or important, but there was another reason Naruto was so eager to get out of the village. It was two days before Naruto's birthday. So, for once the villagers wouldn't be able to get there hands on him!

"Yoooosha!" Naruto yelled as he continued to journey through the run down area. "Just gotta grab my stuff and we can get outta this place!" He exclaimed, his joyful spirit unrivaled by anyone else in the village. He was pumping his fist into the air.

He continued running through the streets, untill he came to his old apartment. That's right, old. The apartment owner kicked him out a few weeks ago. He didn't dare tell the old man hokage, however. He was worried for the apartment owner's safety. She had sheltered him for 12 years, after all.

Her name was Kaya, which means "a place of resting." She was pretty nice, with a fiery personality too. She had long red hair, and wouldn't tell him her last name. Kyuu-San would chuckle at this, for some reason. Naruto had looked up to her as a mother, and still did. She would wake him up early, (though he would still be late) and sometimes even make him breakfast. Even if she didn't talk to him that much, and even if she occasionally yelled at him... She and Iruka were like his... Family, he supposed. He didn't know why she kicked him out, but she was drinking sake before that, which she never does, so he knew it was for an important reason.

"KIT! Stop dilly-dallying and get your stuff!" Kyuu-san's feminine voice resounded in his ears. Naruto chuckled.

"Yes, mother." Naruto replied, saying 'mother' excruciatingly slowly.

"I'm not your mother!" She yelled, and Naruto's heart sank. Untill Kyuu-San continued.

"I'm not that old... Am I? I think I'm more like a... Guardian! Yeah, that suits me!" Naruto laughed at this.

"Kyuu-San, you are a thousand year demon old fox. You are old enough to be my mother." Naruto replied, and continued on the road to his new home he built in a abandoned training ground.

There were a few snakes and spiders here and there, but at least now the villagers didn't know where he lived.

He arrived at his house a few minutes later. It was a wooden one, made from logs he found nearby, but with his mom's help, he managed to figure out how to glue them together with his Chakra. This meant that his house would collapse if he died, but that didn't really matter, because when he died, he would be, well, dead.

"So Kyuu-San, what should I bring?" He asked the fox mentally, and after a moments wait, she replied. Her voice was quiet and a bit scratchy, but Naruto loved the sound of it.

"Well, the necessities, of course, but also remember to bring some bandages, some paper bombs, some traps, and the academy training book you STOLE." Naruto laughed sheepishly, he had stolen the book so he could work on his techniques without having to go to the library to read it. The people at the library were nice ENOUGH, but Naruto wasn't taking any chances.

Especially not this close to his birthday. Birthdays hadn't been so bad when he was younger, but now that he was older, they got worse. He used to spend his birthdays camping out in the hokage's office, but the hokage decided that he was too old for that when he joined the academy a couple years ago. The Hokage didn't want Naruto missing any school, and he thought that the villagers had simmered down.

That's when his "stupid and clueless" act started, because Naruto DID NOT want any more attention than he already had. It was a bit counter productive, but the suspicion people had that the demon gave him powers lowered. (If they knew she did they're probably kill him.) That's when Kyuu-San appeared in his life. Feeling sorry for the young kit, she let him display his true personality to her. Cheerful, but smart.

Very smart.  
She hoped he was smart enough to survive this mission, however...

As Naruto was packing, Sakura was waiting with Kakashi and Sasuke at the front gate out of Konoha. They had been waiting there for hours, dammit, and Sakura was tired of it.

"When is that guy gonna get here!?" She whined loudly, and Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura, the reason he's taking so long is because his house is far away from the Hokage's office." He told her, and Sakura crossed her arms in reply. Still, she thought, it's been thirty minutes already! His house can't be that far from the Hokage's office, as long as he's still in the village! Kakashi sighed, watching his student thoughtfully. "Why don't you got him for us then?" He sighed, pulling out his famous "Make Out Paradise" Sakura nodded, and prepared to run off to get him, when a thought came to her.

"Kakashi-sensei, umm... Where does Naruto live, exactly?" She asked, chuckling sheepishly. Kakashi face palmed.

"Sasuke?" He asked. Sasuke just slowly looked away, before murmuring quietly.

"Hn..." Kakashi face palmed again while Sakura fawned over Sasuke.

"Haven't you guys been in the same class for over a year?! Naruto knows where both of you live." He groaned, before continuing in a whisper. "I knew where he lived before, but now I'm not so sure."

But before any of them could reply, a smiling Naruto appeared before them.

"Hey guys!" Naruto smiled, waving his hand back and forth, his trademark grin plastered on his face.

"NARRRUTO!" Sakura screeched, all guilt disappeared along with her kind outward appearance as she ruthlessly broke everyone's eardrums. "YOUR LATE!" She continued, pounding her fist into his skull.

"ITAI!" He yelled, caressing his head while rolling on the ground. "Geez! Respect your elders Sakura!" He shouted, and his teammates looked at him strangely. "What?" He sniffled, getting up off of the ground.

"What do you mean by elder? Dobe." Sasuke muttered, glaring at Naruto. Naruto tilted his head to the side, and then sighed.

"I know I'm short for my age, but geez! How cruel..." He muttered, and Kyuu-san howled with laughter.

"AHAHAHAH! I can't believe it! Your teammates are such idiots though..." She shouted, and Naruto glared at her mentally.

"You realize you just glared at the Uchiha, right?" Kyuu-San chuckled, and Naruto laughed out loud, not realizing that by this point his teammates were watching him like he had mental problems, (not that they didn't before) and Hatake-San watched him suspiciously.

"Why do you call everyone older than you San?" Kyuu-San muttered, and Naruto shrugged. "... You did that outside of your mind again."

"Dobe! Stop acting mental and explain yourself!" Naruto puffed out his cheek and crossed his arms.

"Geez. Meanies. I'm three years older than you." He pouted, and sakura's mouth fell open. "I failed the graduation exam two years in a row, remember? And I started the academy a year later than you. It took me a year to convince the academy to even let me through the front gate." Naruto muttered, amazed by there stupidity. "Anyway, hiaku! Ikuzo!" He yelled, and pushed open the gate to exit konoha. "It's gonna be my first time out of the village! I wanna see what's outside!

Your first time out of the village, huh? Well, if you count your house inside the village, then...

"Kyuu-San, I think it's best if we don't dwell on that. The training ground may be out of the village, but it's still part of Konoha." Naruto thought, taking care not to say it out loud. Living in an abandoned training ground, it had become a habit. He couldn't slip up in this mission, or he would blow his cover. A c-rank might not be much to Sasuke and Sakura, but to Naruto it was one he could not mess up on.

"Let's do this! Believe it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**~Two~**

"Let's do this! Believe it!" Naruto cheered, stepping out of the gate and into the outskirts of Konoha. "Sugoi!" He shouted, and Kyuu-San chuckled.

"Geez, Naruto. Your so simple minded." Sakura sighed.

"If only you knew... Although you kinda already do." Naruto inwardly groaned.

 **"A true ninja looks underneath the underneath."** Kyuu-San sighed, and Naruto nodded.

"Speaking of looking underneath stuff, I see a few ninja hiding in the trees. So stupid. They think there so well camouflaged." Naruto thought, and Kyuu-San laughed.

 **"Gotta remember kit, not everyone has enhanced eyesight and smell like you do."** She said, and Naruto nodded. She continued. **"I doubt Kakashi has even sensed**

 **them yet."**

"Even Kakashi? Isn't that a bit much? I'm sure at least he has sensed them by now..." Naruto muttered under his breath, walking along the path with his team mates. Kakashi slightly heard him, and narrowed his eyes. Who was he talking to? Surely not...

"Hmm?" Kakashi's eyes left Naruto as he noticed a puddle on the ground. Who are they after...? He wondered, glancing at Tazuna, who had been suspiciously quiet compared to yesterday. Tazuna growled.

"What are you looking at?!" He grumbled, and Kakashi was about to defend himself when-

"I wasn't looking at anything!" It was Naruto who replied. Was the bridge builder talking to Naruto? More importantly, Naruto was watching Tazuna as well? That boy was oddly suspicious. He was surprised both Sakura and Sasuke didn't suspect anything of him. Prejudiced genin... Grades aren't everything. He thought, remembering Obito's words once more. He watched Naruto suspiciously.

"Whoo! Puddle!" The boy shouted, jumping on top of the "water." Kakashi sweat dropped. What a weirdo...

"You can come out now. Your not fooling anybody." He glared, smirking. Kakashi almost jumped back when he heard his genin talk to the puddle. His suspicions where proven. There was no way the "dead last" would have realized it hadn't rained in ages...

"Damn it!" The puddle shouted, forming two ninjas. The ninjas dashed at Kakashi holding chains in there arms. Wrapping them around him. Kakashi quickly body flickered out of there, watching his students' reactions to his "death." Sakura looked horrified, but what would you suspect of a ninja that valued love more than skills? Sasuke's eyes widened a bit, before going back to normal. Seems he had noticed.

Naruto's reaction was just scary. He didn't do anything. Not even raise an eyebrow. He merely watched, "blood" splattering on his face. His hands where in his pockets. But not for long. Kakashi watched as his student leaped over Tazuna, and on top of Kakashi's remains, stepping on the chains. The ninja were now immobilized.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" He shouted, gathering chakra. Six more Naruto's appeared surrounding the original. "Henge!" Kakashi practically gasped as his student transformed into a shuriken. The shadow clones turned facing Naruto, fumbling there hands in order to confuse the ninja. From above, Kakashi could see they were passing Naruto around. "What is he planning..." Kakashi thought, as one of the shadow clones sneakily put "Naruto" into his shuriken pouch. They turned to face the ninja.

"Which one of us has Naruto?" They echoed, smirking. "Guess wrong and your dead." The ninjas glared at Naruto.

 **"Kit, that was a bad idea. Your teammates look like they just saw a caterpillar turn into a gigantic ten tailed beast."**

"Che. Like I care. I'll just say I did it in the spur of the moment. I've been needing a good fight since I joined the academy. I'm getting restless." He replied from inside his clone's shuriken holder.

"Let's do this thing!" He yelled, turning to Sakura and Sasuke. "I can't do this by myself ya know!" He shouted, to raise a bit of there suspicions.

"Get your buts over here and help me!"

"SHUT UP! YOUR THE ONE WHO STARTED ACTING WITHOUT US!" Sakura shouted, be raising her fist in the air. All hints of suspicion were gone. On the outside, at least. Center Sakura didn't even have any suspicion in the first place. Inner was raging. Outer was just fawning over the brooding Sasuke. Contrary to many beliefs, Sakura did not have merely two spirits, but three. The third, center, "was out of order." In other words, Sakura didn't even know she was there. Center was Sakura's true personality. Naruto didn't know why Center had disappeared, but currently her two other personality were dominating Sakura. Naruto knew about Center- she had been his best friend. Which is why as much as he hated outer and inner, he would try to find a way to get center to appear.

Kakashi and Sasuke might have given up on Sakura being strong, but Naruto wasn't gonna abandon Center-San.

"Stop thinking about center and get to work, kit. We can help her later." Naruto nodded, waiting for sasuke to reply.

"Dobe." Sasuke grumbled, walking calmly over to Naruto. He quickly took out two kunai, stabbing there chains to the ground, in replace of the original Naruto, who had been holding the chains in place. The two enemy ninja glared at him. The six Naruto's smirked. Surrounding Sasuke. Smartly, Sakura decided it would be best for her to protect the client, and jumped in front of Tazuna.

"Damn brats!" One of the ninjas shouted. "Don't you know who we are? The demon brothers! A few kunai won't stop our chains."

"I don't care if your demon sisters or whatever, but-" Naruto's clone's echoed, before being cut off by the raging brothers.

"ITS BROTHERS, DAMNIT!" There yells were followed with a chorus of 'yeah, whatever's from the clones, and Sasuke sweat dropped in the middle of them. He glared at the ninja before secretly weaving a few hand signs, the clones squeezing together in order to hide him while he prepared his trademark Fire jutsu.

"Tsk, tsk." The Naruto clones replied to the brothers. "Real ninjas shouldnt show emotion~ So calm down and be a good sandbag for us, ne?" Naruto teased the two. In reality, he was just buying time for Sasuke to complete the jutsu, but they needn't know that...

"Katon: Gokaku no jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, he had completed the jutsu. The clones made way for Sasuke to shoot two fire balls toward each of the brothers. They both managed to dodge, and Sasuke growled. Jumping forward, they dashed toward the clones.

"We'll just take you all out!" They yelled, and both yanked there chains out from under sasuke's kunai.

"Damnit Sasuke! You let them take there chains out! Those have poison on them you know!" Naruto's clone's screamed, each weaving handsigns. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at them from in his tree. He wanted to see what Naruto would do, but he needed to end this quickly. Jumping down from his perch, he jumped onto the two ninja's, pinning them to the ground.

"That was quite a show you put on there... Sasuke. Naruto too, surprisingly" He smiled, and Naruto growled.

"KAKASHIIII SENSEI! You ruined the best part!" He whined, sulking. Kakashi grinned a closed eye smile before turning to Tazuna.

"Yeah yeah, Naruto. Anyway, Tazuna? I believe an explanation is needed." He asked, tying up the two daemon brothers and facing Tazuna.

"Why are they after you." He growled. "This better be a good excuse. You put my students in danger."


	3. Chapter 3

~Three~

"Urggg..." Tazuna groaned. "Fine. I'll talk. You see, currently the wave is under the control of Gato..." He revealed, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sasuke just tched under his breath, and Sakura tilted her head to the side. At this, Naruto looked down at the ground, depressed.

"When are we going to get Center-San baaaacccckkkk! Kyuu-San... I miss Center! I don't like outer!" Naruto whined inwardly, and Kyuu-San sighed.

" **Don't worry, we'll find a way to get her back."** She replied. **"We better do it fast though... Remember, you can't use my chakra without her. Don't be reckless."**

"I know, I know... Do you think we can get her back before my birthday? I wanna celebrate with Center..." He whispered, and Kyuu-San shook her head.

"That's asking a bit much..."

"But don't worry, if you leave my cute little grandson will only bear a grudge against leaf ninja for the rest of his life, but it won't be your fault, not at all~~~" Naruto was shook from his thoughts by Tazuna finishing his speech. He wasn't sure why ninja were after Tazuna, but it didn't matter, right? They could just keep going on with the mission, right?!

"Kyuu-San! I don't wanna have to go back to the village before my birthday is over! What if we have to go back!? What if-" Naruto thought nervously, and Kyuubi shook her head.

 **"Just listen, kit. The uchiha's talking to Kakashi about it."** Kyuu-San sighed, and Naruto focused back to the conversation.

"I say we carry on the mission." The brooding boy muttered, and Naruto wasted no time in following it up.

"We got you, Kakashi sensei! Your a jonin!" Naruto added cheerfully. In reality, he was no where near cheerful. He was scared to death they would have to go back.

"I suppose we have no choice..." Kakashi grumbled, and Naruto practically cried tears of joy. He ran up to his sensei, jumping on top of him.

"YES!" He yelped, before hopping off of the poor guy, not realizing he had just accidentally put his sensei in a choker hold.

 **"Jeez... You wouldn't think someone so smart in battle like you, would be such a complete idiot outside of battle.** " Kyuu-San laughed, and Naruto smirked.

"Oh, if only they knew~~~ I'm not just smart in battle. Kyuu-San did you ever consider the possibility that even now, someone is watching us? Even if we're on a mission, it's best I keep my stupid mask up."

 **"I know kit, but that doesn't mean you should put your sensei in a choker hold..."** Kyuu-San chuckled, and Naruto suddenly went rigid.

"Wait what" he whispered, his eyes wide.

 **"I said, you shouldn't put your sensei-"**

"No not that." Naruto muttered, closing his eyes. He sniffed the air. "I smell someth- oh damn it" Naruto quickly sprang into action, grabbing a kunai out of his pouch. He then threw it violently to the bushes, narrowing his eyes as a white bunny hopped out of the bushes.

"Look what you did, Naruto!" Sakura shouted, hitting Naruto on the head. Naruto quickly ran over to the bunny, apologizing and cuddling it.

 **"Bear with it kit, remember centers life rests in the capabilities of this banshee. More importantly, that rabbit... You noticed, didn't you?"** Kyuu-San asked. Naruto nodded.

"Of course. How could Konoha's number one tactical ninja not notice something so simple?" Naruto replied. "And why am I apologizing to the bunny? The one in the wrong is the one who substituted it for themselves... Bastard coulda just dodged..."

He sniffed the air again. "Now where is he hiding..." Naruto muttered.  
_

 **Yo! Clair5987 here! You probably have a few questions now that you've read this chapter... So I'll answer the ones your most likely to have, right here.**

 **Q1) When will the next chapter be posted?**

 **A1) Most likely tommorow afternoon or tommorow morning. Although because of the time changes around the world, the time it is posted will depend on the person.**

 **Q2) Why does Naruto need Center to use Kyuubi's chakra?**

 **A2) All will be revealed during Naruto's fight with Haku! If not before that. ;)**

 **Q3) Is Naruto actually gonna celebrate his birthday with his team?**

 **A3) I know it seems like he doesn't even plan on telling them, but he will. During there training to beat Haku. (Or will he... I might just be lying. )**

 **Q4) WHAT IS UP WITH THIS SHORT CHAPTER I DONT LIKE IT**

 **A4) uhh... sorry? I didnt have much inspiration when writing it...**

 **That's it! See you next chapter! ^ ^**


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